Mar 7, 2007
People caught pubic lice from gorillas
No, it’s not some kind of deviant gorillas in the mist story, apparently, millions of years ago our ancestors picked up pubic lice (crabs) either by sleeping in gorilla nests (without the gorilla) or through eating our silver-backed cousins. David Reed and colleagues at the University of Florida publish details of their findings today in BMC Biology journal.
Reed is quick to point out that there was no monkey business between gorillas and humans. Of course gorillas are apes not monkeys, but this would be a perfect story for Ricky Gervais podcast star Karl Pilkington. “It certainly wouldn’t have to be what many people are going to immediately assume it might have been, and that is sexual intercourse occurring between humans and gorillas,” Reed says, “Instead of something sordid, it could easily have stemmed from an activity that was considerably more tame.”
Reed suggests that 3.3 million years ago, gorilla lice took up residence in the pubic region in our ancestors, this was probably around the same time that evolution took us from a fully hirsute state to our current nakedness. With no hair on our bodies other than the head and pubic regions, the lice would have been hard pushed to linger anywhere else.
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Mitch said,
March 7, 2007 at 6:15 pm
Those freaky 3.3 million year humans.
Mitch
David Bradley said,
March 8, 2007 at 10:23 am
Yes Mitch, obviously, what I meant to say was “the pubic region of our ancestors”! Fixed.
jim lee science said,
March 9, 2007 at 3:31 pm
Yes, we really need to figure how to stop this madness and people in this world need to stop sleeping with animals so we will stop catching crabs and lice.
David Bradley said,
March 9, 2007 at 4:12 pm
Hmmmm….sorry Jim Lee Science, I would have expected a slightly more insightful response given your surname. What? That’s not your real name? Surely…
isabelle carter said,
March 9, 2007 at 6:09 pm
ew. gross.
David Bradley said,
March 9, 2007 at 8:15 pm
Yes, not the most pleasant of subjects under discussion here. More of the same to come…
sam said,
March 10, 2007 at 11:38 pm
ewwwwwww
David Bradley said,
September 13, 2007 at 7:58 am
Latest pronouncement about the health of gorillas, as a species, rather than individuals, says that these amazing creatures now find themselves at the top of the Red List of endangered species - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6990095.stm
David Bradley said,
September 13, 2007 at 10:58 am
Corals also make the Red List, according to http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070912094029.htm